2 How shall I find the living Way,

Lost, and confused, and dark, and blind?
Ah! Lord, my soul is gone astray:

Ah! Shepherd, seek my soul, and find,
And in Thy arms of mercy take,
And bring the weary wanderer back.
3 Weary and sick of sin I am;

I hate it, Lord, and yet I love:
When wilt Thou rid me of my shame?
When wilt Thou all my load remove,
Destroy the fiend that lurks within,
And speak the word of power, "Be clean ?"
4 O Lord, if I at last discern

That I am sin, and Thou art love,
If now o'er me Thy bowels yearn,
Give me a token from above;
And conquer my rebellious will,
And bid my murmuring heart be still,
5 Sin only let me not commit,

(Sin never can advance Thy praise,)
And, lo! I lay me at Thy feet,

And wait unwearied all my days,
Till my appointed time shall come,
And Thou shalt call Thine exile home.

576

үн

ES, from this instant, now I will
To my offended Father cry;

My base ingratitude I feel,

Vilest of all Thy children, I,
Not worthy to be called Thy son;
Yet will I thee my Father own.

2 Guide of my youth hast Thou not been,
And rescued me from passion's power?
Ten thousand times preserved from sin,
Nor let the greedy grave devour?
And wilt Thou now Thy wrath retain,
Nor ever love Thy child again?

3 Ah! canst Thou find it in Thy heart
To give me up, so long pursued !
Ah! canst Thou finally depart,

And leave Thy creature in his blood!
Leave me,-out of Thy presence cast,
To perish in my sins at last!

4 If Thou hast will'd me to return,
If weeping at Thy feet I fall,
The prodigal Thou wilt not spurn,
But pity, and forgive me all,
In answer to my Friend above,
In honour of His bleeding love!

SAV

(AVIOUR, I now with shame confess
My thirst for creature happiness;
By base desires I wronged Thy love,
And forced Thy mercy to remove.
2 Yet would I not regard Thy stroke;
But, when Thou didst Thy grace revoke,
And when Thou didst Thy face conceal,
Thy absence I refused to feel.

3 I knew not that the Lord was gone,
In my own froward will went on,
And lived to the desires of men,
And Thou hast all my wanderings seen.
4 Yet, O the riches of Thy grace!
Thou, who hast seen my evil ways,
Wilt freely my backslidings heal,
And pardon on my conscience seal.
5 For this I at Thy footstool wait,
Till Thou my peace again create ;
Fruit of Thy gracious lips, restore
My peace, and bid me sin no more!
6 Far off, yet at Thy feet, I lie,
Till Thou again Thy blood apply;

439

Till Thou repeat my sins forgiven,
As far from God as hell from heaven.
7 But, for Thy truth and mercy's sake,
My comfort Thou wilt give me back;
And lead me on from grace to grace,
In all the paths of righteousness:
8 Till, throughly saved, my new-born soul,
And perfectly by faith made whole,
Doth bright in Thy full image rise,
To share Thy glory in the skies.

THO

L.M.

Heb. v. 7.

C. WESLEY. 1762.

HOU Man of Griefs, remember me,
Who never canst Thyself forget,

Thy last mysterious agony,

Thy fainting pangs, and bloody sweat :

2 When, wrestling in the strength of prayer,
Thy spirit sunk beneath its load!
Thy feeble flesh abhorred to bear
The wrath of an Almighty God!
3 Father, if I may call Thee so,

Regard my fearful heart's desire ;
Remove this load of guilty woe,
Nor let me in my sins expire!

4 I tremble lest the wrath Divine,
Which bruises now my sinful soul,
Should bruise this wretched soul of mine
Long as eternal roll.
ages

5 To Thee my last distress I bring;

The heightened fear of death I find :
The tyrant, brandishing his sting,
Appears, and hell is close behind!

6 I deprecate that death alone,

That endless banishment from Thee!
O save, and give me to Thy Son,'

Who trembled, wept, and bled for me!

WILL hearken what the Lord
Will say concerning me!

power;

Hast Thou not a gracious word
For one who waits on Thee?
Speak it to my soul, that I
May in Thee have peace and
Never from my Saviour fly,
And never grieve Thee more.
2 How have I Thy Spirit grieved,
Since first with me He strove !
Obstinately disbelieved,

And trampled on Thy love!
I have sinned against the light;
I have broke from Thy embrace !
No, I would not, when I might,
Be freely saved by grace.

3 After all that I have done

To drive Thee from my heart,
Still Thou wilt not leave Thine own,
Thou wilt not yet depart;
Wilt not give the sinner o'er;
Ready art Thou now to save ;
Bidst me come, as heretofore
That I Thy life may have.

4 O Thou meek and gentle Lamb!
Fury is not in Thee;

Thou continuest the same,

And still Thy grace is free;
Still Thine arms are open wide,
Wretched sinners to receive;
Thou hast once for sinners died,
That all may turn and live.

5 Lo! I take Thee at Thy word;
My foolishness I mourn;

580

Unto Thee, my bleeding Lord,
However late, I turn :
Yes, I yield, I yield at last,
Listen to Thy speaking blood,
Me, with all my sins, I cast
On my atoning God!

(477)

MY

Y God, my God, to Thee I cry;
Thee only would I know;

Thy purifying blood apply,

And wash me white as snow.

2 Touch me, and make the leper clean,
Purge my iniquity:

Unless Thou wash my soul from sin,
I have no part in Thee.

3 But art Thou not already mine?
Answer, if mine Thou art!
Whisper within, Thou Love Divine,
And cheer my drooping heart.

4 Tell me again, my peace is made,
And bid the sinner live:
The debt's discharged, the ransom's paid,
My Father must forgive.

5 Behold, for me the Victim bleeds,
His wounds are opened wide:
For me the blood of sprinkling pleads,
And speaks me justified.

6 O why did I my Saviour leave,

So soon unfaithful prove,

How could I Thy good Spirit grieve,
And sin against Thy love!

7 I forced Thee first to disappear;
I turned Thy face aside:

Ah, Lord! if Thou hadst still been here,
Thy servant had not died.

8 But O, how soon Thy wrath is o'er,

And pardoning love takes place !